Borgata
by DoctorMerlinReid
Summary: Merlin Emrys is the last of the Dragonlords, one of the top three mob families in Camelot. With the Druids and the Pendragons fighting for complete control of the city, Merlin is plunged further into the mob life than she's ever been before. All she wants is to find who made the hit on her family and get revenge.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This idea popped into my head and wouldn't get out, so here you go! (By the way, Borgata supposedly means a mob family in mafia slang, so that's why the story is titled that) Read, review, and enjoy. Pretty pretty please let me know if you want any more of it. And I know that I should be updating my other stories first, but I can't help but post this one.**

 **PS: By the way, there is actually a way to tell the time from the North Star, but I just didn't feel like putting the whole explanation. You should look it up though; it's pretty cool. And sorry if I get things about guns wrong. The only things I know about them are from books I've read, so let me know if I get it wrong, but bear in mind that I have no prior knowledge of them. And everything I know concerning the mob comes from Gotham, so that's not much better.**

 **Disclaimer: IDOM**

MMMMMM

Merlin had been standing on the balcony that overhung the garden when someone started knocking on the front door. She frowned to herself. There was no reason that someone would be visiting the mansion this late at night. She looked at the stars one last time to check that it was as late as she thought it was. The position of the North Star informed her that it was roughly two thirty in the morning. She frowned again. Her mother and father should have been home by now and there was no reason they would knock on the door to come in.

The only child of Balinor and Hunith Emrys shrugged to herself and walked down the stairs towards the door, carefully pulling the Colt 1908 Vest Pocket .25 ACP from where she had casually stuck it in the waistline of her pants. Merlin hated using guns, but wasn't above using them for protection. She was ashamed to admit that she had already killed people and she was only seventeen. She hadn't only killed them with guns either. Magic had saved her from more than one tight scrape.

The banging on the door started again, breaking Merlin from her line of thinking. She gently pulled open one of the secret peep holes her father had put in the door (Balinor always claimed that the normal peep holes on doors were a great way to get your eye shot out) and glanced quickly onto the porch. The black haired teen breathed a sigh of relief and pulled the door open for the silver haired man. Merlin's face broke into a grin, "Uncle Gaius! What brings you here so late at night, or should I say so early in the morning?"

Gaius didn't return the grin. Merlin's smile ran away from her face and she lead the elderly man to the parlor, seating him on one of the fluffier couches and putting her gun back into her waistband. As Merlin sat in one of the wicker chairs, she tried to remember if she had ever seen Gaius look so serious before.

Gaius Meddyg (the old man had explained that he had chosen the last name because it was Welsh for physician) was an old friend of Hunith and had no real relation to the family, but was faithful enough to be called uncle. He was the one who had delivered Merlin (his parents wanted to make sure that no one knew she had been born) and who had treated her parents if they ever got injured on the job. He was a permanent fixture in the Pendragon family; some people even went so far as to say that he was the second hand man in that mob family, but he also had connections in the Druid family and the Dragonlord family.

Merlin stood up and grabbed some warm tea and cakes from the kitchen, bringing them back and setting them in front of her mother's old friend. The teen's bright cerulean eyes stared at the doctor's hunched form for a moment before asking quietly, "What's happened Gaius?"

The older man sighed and straightened so he was looking Merlin in the eye, "Balinor and Hunith… were just found dead by the police. I came as quickly as I could without garnering suspicion. I'm afraid that all of the Dragonlords have been killed Merlin. You're the last Dragonlord."

The teen froze, letting shock color her features for a moment. This couldn't be true. It couldn't be happening! The Dragonlords were her family! To find out that they were all killed at the same time… it was almost too much. Then Merlin wrestled back control of her emotions and smoothed out her expression. Gaius was a friend, but he wasn't family and Dragonlords never showed weakness outside of family. When Merlin figured that she had her voice under control, she asked quietly, "Have my parent's identities been compromised?"

"No," Gaius answered quickly, swallowing a sip of tea, "The police can only say that they're the infamous leaders of one of the mob families. They're having the same problem with a lot of the other members of the Dragonlords, but some have been identified. Since the coroners aren't going to find any living members, Iseldir has announced that he would be more than willing to pay for the funerals and has already bought a large plot of cemetery land to bury them in. Balinor and Hunith are going to be buried as John and Jane Doe. So are a lot of the other members."

Merlin nodded slowly, thinking over everything. She knew that Gaius would tell her when the funeral was so she could slip in quietly and pay her respects. She would have to find a way to thank Iseldir without letting him know that she was alive. Iseldir was the head of the Druids and had worked closely with the Dragonlords against the much stronger Pendragons. The Pendragons abhorred the use of magic and had no magic users in their ranks. The Druids welcomed everyone and had a healthy mix of magic users and non-magic users. The Dragonlords had a strict magic users only law and the test to become a full-fledged member (which Merlin had passed when she was only thirteen much to the joy of her parents) was grueling and required powerful magic that had been cultivated for years.

After she had finished mulling it over, she looked up to see Gaius staring at her in concern. She gave the old physician a small smile and then asked, "Do you know who ordered the attack and how they found out about tonight's meeting?"

Gaius sighed and gave Merlin a sad look, "Merlin, please don't pursue this matter. It will only get you killed and you know that's the last thing your parents would have wanted." He paused for a moment and stared at Merlin, obviously hoping that his words would have some effect or another on the teen, but Merlin's face remained impassive. Gaius sighed again and finished, "No, I do not know who ordered the hit, or how they found out about the meeting. Merlin, what are you planning?"

The raven haired youth took a deep sip of her tea, closing her eyes briefly in what her mother calls – no, called – her thinking face. When she opened her eyes again, she had made her decision, "I'm going to join the Druids."

Merlin watched as Gaius floundered for words. She knew that the older man wouldn't be able to convince her to change her mind. Gaius had evidently reached that conclusion too because he chuckled tensely and sighed, "You're just like your mother, Merlin. You're so stubborn. What do you hope to gain from joining the Druids? If anything, it will destroy your family's greatest secret: the truth of your birth."

Merlin set down her tea cup and straightened her back. She had most of this figured out. Mainly. Sort of. A little bit. It was too late to turn back now, she told herself sternly. The raven haired beauty smiled at Gaius and said, "They won't find out. I'll cover my Dragonlord tattoo in foundation or putty or something and I know that their tattoos go in a different spot, so the tattoo won't be a problem. No one knows I exist, so no one can recognize me except for you and you wouldn't betray me, nor do you even work for the Druids, so that won't be a problem. I know enough about the mob business to be a formidable ally, so getting hired won't be a problem. My magic is strong and I have enough control to keep my strength hidden, so that won't be a problem. I'm used to the going-ons of people at the top of the mob family being as mom and dad are – were – the leaders of the Dragonlords, so I should be able to work my way up the social ladder pretty quickly. I don't see where the problem is." She grinned at him, showing that she wasn't afraid.

His jaw clenched and his eyebrow wormed its way up to his hairline, but eventually he nodded to her and said, "Good luck, then. I'll try to keep in contact and _I'll_ set up the meeting between you and whoever hires for the Druids. You will wait here until I tell you the meeting is ready to go. I recommend you practice your skills because you're going to need them. Camelot's going to be a bad place for a while as the Druids and the Pendragons both fight for the now open territory." Merlin nodded solemnly to him and they finished their tea in silence.

When they were done, Merlin led Gaius out of the Emrys Mansion. She made a mental note to go to the former members' houses and get their stuff before the houses were repossessed due to non-payment, but for now, she just slid to the floor, leaning against the door.

Merlin Kaida Emrys had lost her entire family, her entire life. She was going to have to start over by betraying everything that the Dragonlords lived for: she was going to join an enemy mob, she was going to have to hide her magic, and she was going to start at the bottom rung of the mob and work her way up. But she was also doing things that her Dragonlord side cried out for her to do: she was going to find their killers, she was going to make people pay for what they had done, and she was going to keep the family business going.

Mind made up, she buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

MMMMMM

It had been a week since that fateful night. Since then, Merlin had gone to every house that had belonged to a Dragonlord. At each house she took their money (it was standard practice that if an entire family died out, the head of the mob group would take the money and split it up among the other families), their pictures, anything that would give the police hints about their names or their mob affiliations, and any item that she knew they had treasured. She would make sure that no one else would get the things they loved.

She had trained in everything from using a gun to politics to make-up techniques. She would keep training until she had avenged the Dragonlords.

Suddenly, her cell phone rang, filling the room with the sound of Mozart, one of Gaius' favorite composers. The blue-eyed teen smiled and grabbed the phone, clicking the answer button even as she was bringing it to her ear.

"Gaius! Did you set up a time?" Merlin started.

" _Yes, they're ready to meet one Miss Merlin Emrys. I still don't think that you should have used your real name. They might track it back to the truth and that would not go well for anyone."_ Gaius answered back.

"Thanks for setting it up! And you shouldn't worry; everything is going to be fine. Who exactly am I meeting, where am I meeting them, and when?" Merlin inquired.

" _You are meeting them at the Crystal Cave Café at seven pm on Thursday. You will be greeted by Nimueh and her two sons, Mordred and Frey, along with Isolde and her boyfriend Tristan. Do you remember those names?"_ Gaius asked.

"Yeah…" Merlin started, pausing before continuing, "Nimueh Blessed, now Nimueh de Bois, is Iseldir's second in command. She was married to Tristan de Bois who is the brother in law of Uther Pendragon. Together they had their two sons: Mordred and Frey like you said. Mordred is a year younger than me and Frey is my age. Tristan de Bois was killed by his brother, Agravaine de Bois. Isolde and Tristan are actually engaged; you were trying to trick me! They don't have any kids, but they are the ones who run the Crystal Cave Café. Have I satisfied you with my knowledge?" Merlin finished.

Gaius sighed over the phone and said, _"Yes, you have satisfied me with your knowledge even though I still think this whole idea is ridiculous. I won't try to stop you though. I know that it will be in vain. I wish you luck and hope that you survive your visit with the Druids tomorrow night. Goodbye Merlin."_

"Goodbye Gaius!" Merlin hung up the phone and turned to her wardrobe. What to wear, what to wear?

MMMMMM

In the end, Merlin settled on wearing a purple tunic that wrapped around her midsection and was held in place by a large flower pin that rested over her ribs. The sleeves were translucent but tight against her skin. The tunic fell to mid-thigh and lay over tight black leather pants. She wore tall silver heels with open toes and had her hair wrestled into its regular braid falling just past her hips. She topped the look off with some sophisticated silver earrings and dark purple lipstick, making sure that she had a layer of stage putty over her Dragonlord tattoo. She was ready.

Merlin decided on getting to the meeting via motorcycle. She made it there with ten minutes to spare, just like she planned. First she drove by it slightly slowly, making sure she could pick out viable exits and traffic patterns. Then she parked the motorcycle in an alleyway about a block away, making sure that the ride was covered with a canvas in a way that made it look like a pile of trash. She then walked quickly back to the store and made it there with three minutes left. The entire time she was aware that she was being watched and judged.

The black haired teenager walked into the café slowly, examining her surroundings one more time and making sure that none of the exits she had picked out were now blocked. An overly sweet voice called out to her, "Ah, you must be Merlin Emrys! Come here sweet child. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. Our… mutual friend speaks highly of you. I am Nimueh de Bois and these are my sons: Mordred and Frey de Bois."

Merlin smiled and shook Nimueh's hand first, taking in her too blue eyes and her too red smile as she nodded her head to the older woman. Then she reached out to take Mordred's hand, shaking it firmly and smiling at his adorable curly locks and sweet face. Finally, she turned to shake Frey's hand. To her surprise (and delight), he took her hand and raised it to his lips, kissing it lightly like a gentleman of old. Then their eyes met.

It was as if everything froze for a moment. All Merlin could see was Frey and all Frey could see was Merlin. He was beautiful. He had dark chocolate colored hair that was shorter on the sides and long on top, sweeping to the side across his forehead in waves and curls. His brown eyes were large and daring in his pale chiseled face. Frey was wearing a relatively nice suit that somehow showed off his muscular arms.

The moment was broken when the door jingled open and someone called out, "I swear we weren't late! And if we somehow were its Tristan's fault!" Merlin and Frey broke eye contact, both of them blushing furiously and trying to hide the fact.

The last Dragonlord could feel Nimueh's calculating gaze on her and tried to ignore it, choosing instead to listen to Tristan defend himself from his fiancé's accusations. Nimueh eventually cleared her throat and the two stopped, smiling to each other before they quickly shook hands with Merlin, introducing themselves as Isolde and Tristan. Nimueh, being the most senior member, motioned everyone to sit down and waited until the nervous waitress had brought the food to the table to start talking.

When the food had been dished out, Nimueh spoke up, "We look for very specific things when choosing our new members. You have already shown us that you are polite, punctual, and cultured, which are necessary components. You have shown that you are street smart with the way you handled your vehicle and entering a foreign place. You have shown that you understand the subtleties of manipulation by choosing to wear the colors of our… family. Over dinner, we'll be asking you questions and we expect you to answer as truthfully as possible." Merlin nodded to her seriously while dutifully eating her food.

Nimueh nodded back and said, "Alright, here's your first question: do your parents know of your mob affiliations in reference to our mutual friend."

"Yes ma'am. My parents are not affiliated with any particular mob group and, in fact do not participate in any illegal activity. They travel the world for their job and they come home about once a year." Merlin answered carefully. She had thought about how to answer that and decided that was the closest to the truth she could get.

Nimueh nodded again and this time Isolde asked a question, "What level of school are you in and what grade?"

Merlin responded, "I am taking an online college course and am in what would be my junior year if I was actually in college." The two women nodded to themselves and went back to eating. Merlin narrowed her eyes at them momentarily, not quite sure why they stopped asking questions.

After a few minutes of silence, Tristan spoke up, "When did you start learning magic?"

The raven haired teen answered quickly, sure that this was a test, and "Magic is a dangerous thing. What makes you think I've learned it at all?"

Tristan smiled thinly at her, "Good answer, but our mutual friend actually told me that you have magic. He didn't say when you started learning, though. I'm simply curious, that's all." He shrugged nonchalantly to show his seeming disinterest.

Merlin smiled gracefully back at him, "I started learning when I was thirteen." That was true in a way. She started learning the complicated spells when she was thirteen. They just didn't need to know that.

Mordred asked quietly, his voice completely serious, "How old are you?"

"Seventeen." Merlin answered just as solemnly before raising an eyebrow Gaius style. She noticed Frey's lips curl into a smile and ducked her head so no one would see her blush. Honestly. It was like he had turned her into a little middle school girl again, but she couldn't deny the way he made her heart pump whenever their eyes met.

Then Frey questioned, "Are you carrying a gun right now?" His voice was rich and perfectly accented and slightly incredulous as if it just occurred to him that she might be carrying.

This time it was her lips that curled into a smile and she tried her best not to blush as she looked in his general direction, "Yes, I am. I figured that most, if not all, of you would be carrying a gun or two of your own, so I should bring one as well." Merlin glanced pointedly at Nimueh's thigh, Isolde's arm, and Tristan's ankle. Thanks to her parents' training on identifying where people hid their guns, she had been able to pick out the weapons almost immediately upon setting eyes on each person. Strangely enough, Frey and Mordred were gunless.

Nimueh laughed a bright, tinkling laugh and smiled at Merlin, "You definitely are a special girl. We would be honored if you joined our family, Merlin Emrys. Now you must make a decision: do you want to go ahead and try for full membership right away tonight or wait a while. Either way is fine by us."

Merlin took a second to observe her body language and go over the fluctuations in her tone before answering. She knew that whatever she answered right now would decide what Nimueh thought of her for the rest of her time as a Druid. Merlin allowed herself a moment of exultation as she fully processed that she had just joined the Druids and it hadn't even been an hour. Finally, Merlin nodded to herself and answered Nimueh, "I think I'll wait a little bit before trying to achieve full membership. I'll try to get used to the lay of the land first." The raven haired girl added a grin at the end.

When Nimueh's face broke into a delighted smile, Merlin knew she had made the right choice. And when she happened to see the bright smile cross Frey's face it was a total accident. She totally wasn't looking for it. Not at all. Merlin sighed to herself. She was definitely crushing on this guy. Great.

MMMMMM

Merlin thought over the rest of the meeting as she rode away on her motorcycle. They had exchanged pleasantries throughout the rest of dinner and Merlin hadn't noticed until the end that the others had stayed in the background while Frey and Merlin talked. She normally wasn't so unobservant, but when it came to him, she just couldn't think straight. Evidently that was normal for girls her age, but she didn't get out much and the only boy her age who knew her was Will. Merlin thought on him for a second. She had never thought about him romantically before. They had grown up together and were more like brother and sister or maybe cousins. Merlin didn't know. The only family she had had was her mom and her dad. Now they were gone like Will and like every person who knew she existed other than Gaius.

Merlin dragged her mind away from those thoughts and went back to the meeting with the Druids. After the dinner, Nimueh had slid the teenage girl a packet of papers. Merlin had picked it up in confusion and asked, "What are these?"

Nimueh answered easily, "These are the employment forms that you have to sign in order to work here at the Crystal Cave Café." At Merlin's surprised look, Nimueh smirked and continued, "You will work here all day and continue to go through your online college course. When someone has a job, they'll be in that corner booth there." Nimueh pointed to it before starting again, "Isolde and Tristan will teach you a set of code phrases that will let you know what your assignment is. For now, you'll only be getting the easy ones. You'll let Isolde or Tristan know when you want to try for full membership. Is this all understood?"

The pitch black haired woman had purposefully changed from her motherly attitude to one of a pristine higher up in a mob family who knows what they're doing to intimidate Merlin, but she was ready for it. She had actually been waiting for that since the meal started. So when Nimueh did it then, Merlin was able to answer clearly, "Yes ma'am."

Nimueh sent another shark's grin at the newest part-time member of the Druids before commenting offhandedly, "Oh and its Iseldir's wish that no one from the Pendragons can know that you've joined the Druids. We're keeping all of our newest members a secret after what happened to the Dragonlords."

Merlin wasn't quite able to hide the expression of pain that came over her face when the Dragonlords were mentioned; it was too soon, but luckily Nimueh translated it as anxiety instead. She spoke soothingly to the raven haired teen, "I'm sure that Iseldir won't let something like that happen to us. We're being very careful and avoiding large meetings now. In fact, we're lucky it didn't happen to us. We used to have member wide meetings every month and we're only now realizing how dangerous that could have been. Anyway, we must go now. It has been a pleasure meeting you." And then they all shook her hand and said goodbye, except for Frey. He stopped in front of her, smiled, and then brought her hand to his lips again, looking deep into her eyes this time before turning and walking away again. Merlin left the café beet red.

A stray car alarm starting in the background broke Merlin out of her memories. She took a sharp right turn and continued to loop in circles for a while, making sure that no one could track her back to her home.

UUUUUU

Uther Pendragon stormed into his mansion room, startling the people there. They were all high up in his organization and he noted with a sense of pride his son standing in the room, talking seriously to the people there. They all turned to look at him and he lifted his chin, continuing to storm his way to the front of the room. He stood with his hands pressing down against the top of his chair, making sure to look each member in the eye, conveying the seriousness of this meeting. Then he asked very deliberately, "Did any of you order the hit on the Dragonlords one week ago?"

The men in the room glanced around at each other in fear, unsure of what to say. Uther felt his patience wearing thin and eventually shouted, " _Did any of you order the hit on the Dragonlords one week ago?!_ " Several of the members of his mob group actually cringed back in fear. They started mumbling no, getting more courageous with each person who spoke, until the entire room had denied their aid in that event. He knew they were telling the truth because no one would dare lie to him and if they had ordered the hit, they would probably try to brag about it, thinking it some great feat for their lord. They would have been right.

Uther was glad that someone had managed to destroy the Dragonlords once and for all and only wished that he could have been there to see the scum wiped from his city. They were all vile magic users who were relentless in the control of their lands, unlike the Druids who were easily pushed around and forced out. All they want is peace. Uther internally scoffed at the idea. There would be no peace in this city until only the Pendragons were left. With no more Dragonlords to get in the way, Uther could finally begin his extermination of the magical community. He would bring down a plague on the evil devil worshipers in the form of hatred. Soon, Camelot would be known as the only city completely free of magic users.

Uther would hunt them all down and kill them one by one if he had to. The time was right and his people were ready. Soon, a Great Purge would begin!


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Here's the next chapter. Read, review, and enjoy!**

MMMMMM

It had been two months since the fateful night when her family was killed. She had been getting more and more jobs from the people who visited in the corner booth and Isolde and Tristan had practically become parents. There were nights when she would fall asleep in the back of the café and they would take her home with them because they still didn't know where she lived. Merlin like keeping her cards close to her chest and so far, the only one who knew her address was Nimueh.

Merlin had formed a tenuous relationship with the woman. Both of them were overly cautious around each other, dancing in intricate circles and giving each other curious, suspicious glances. Nimueh was too high up in the Druids for Merlin to not be afraid of her and Merlin was too good at the mob business for Nimueh to not be suspicious of her.

Almost as if she had summoned the woman, Nimueh, Mordred, and Frey came in through the shop's doors at that moment. Flicking her eyes up and cheerfully greeting the well-known customers, Merlin had to fight a blush at the sight of Frey. After that initial night, he'd spent a lot of time at the Crystal Cave Café and the two had gotten to know each other. Obviously, there were things that each person would never consider telling someone who was just a friend, but for the moment, they were growing steadily closer.

Frey walked up to Tristan, talking him to lowly for a second before Tristan winked, smirked at him, jabbed him in the side with his elbow, and then nodded, finally serious. Frey let out a sigh of relief and then walked back over to Merlin, a small, pleased smile on his face. Merlin grinned at him, "What was all that about?"

"Come with me and I'll tell you?" Frey offered instead, gesturing to the street outside.

Merlin's shoulders slumped, "Sorry Frey. I've got work. I can't just leave."

"You can today! My treat. Off you trot. Have fun!" Tristan announced, practically shoving the two out of the building.

Merlin laughed at the man before turning to Frey with a curious smile, "What was that all about? He's normally so stringent about hours. I have to get exactly the right number of hours or it doesn't count, and I need to make them up another day. And now he's practically pushing me out the door! So odd."

Frey laughed slightly and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, "That might be my doing, actually. I asked him if he'd let you off work early today. I wanted to spend some time with you." His cheeks were tinted suspiciously red, but Merlin couldn't judge him for it because her own cheeks were probably flaming at the moment.

She let out a small, "Oh, okay." And laughed slightly breathlessly. He looked at her with his chocolate brown eyes and she felt something in her melt at the sight. Gods, he was gorgeous. Clearing her throat slightly and glancing down at the ground, she asked, "So, where are we going today?"

"We're going on a picnic." Frey said, smiling beatifically down at her.

Merlin raised an incredulous eyebrow, "Frey. We're in the middle of Camelot. The nearest park is at least a half an hour away, driving."

"It's a good thing that we're driving and that I got you off of work for the rest of the day, then, isn't it?" Frey grinned, the smile lighting up his face and giving his expression a mischievous tint.

Merlin laughed, "Well, then, I guess it is."

The two of them soon got to Frey's car (read: limo) and stepped in. Frey didn't say anything to the driver, but the man started driving off anyways, telling Merlin that this had been planned. Lifting her cerulean eyes to meet Frey's chocolate ones, Merlin smiled, "Is there any particular reason that I'm being treated to a picnic today?"

"Yes." Frey answered, but didn't say anything else.

"You can't seriously be planning on leaving it like that!" Merlin cried, sitting back in her seat with a huff.

Frey sniffed imperiously, "I believe I can, actually."

"Unbelievable." Merlin muttered, but they both knew that she didn't mean it. The two talked about nonsense the rest of the way to the park, laughing and joking as time passed.

Finally, they made it to the park. Frey grabbed a huge basket out of the back of the limo and lead Merlin towards an empty spot shaded by a huge tree out in the park. Together, the two of them set up the blanket and spread the food around them, Frey muttering a quick spell to discourage the ants from deciding to take bits of their food.

Gratefully, Merlin thanked Frey for the meal and dug into it, putting together sandwiches from the supplies and eating eagerly. Frey watched her with a small smile, eating his own meal much more gracefully.

As they neared the end of their meal, Frey put down the last bites of his sandwich. Merlin put hers down too, sensing the seriousness of the moment. She tilted her head to the side, "What is it, Frey?"

He gently reached over and grabbed one of her hands in his, cupping it lightly and staring at her, "I don't know your parents. I'm not sure if I ever will, honestly, with how little they apparently come home, so, I had to ask Tristan for this blessing which he thankfully gave. Merlin Emrys. The night I met you was the night I felt complete for the first time. I feel different around you – purer, more powerful… in love. Will you, Merlin Emrys, give me the pleasure of courting you?"

Merlin used her other hand to trace Frey's cheeks, lightly, hesitantly, "Do you even need to ask? Of course, Frey, of course!"

Frey laughed delighted, and pulled Merlin into a hug. Merlin laughed too and clutched him tightly, fingers deep in the soft cotton of his t-shirt. Frey pulled back and said sadly, "I wanted some strawberries here too, but we couldn't find any. I always imagined that when I asked someone to date me, I'd put a strawberry in their mouth afterwards and it'd be all cute and romantic."

Merlin giggled and said, "Just wait a moment." She cupped her palms together and whispered something into them, eyes glinting gold for the slightest of seconds. Frey peered at her curiously, expression still open and bright from the joy of the moment. Merlin opened her palms and there, sat gently on them, was a single bright red rose. She blushed slightly and offered the rose to Frey, "Well, it wasn't quite what I'd intended, but oh well."

"It's still beautiful. And perfect." Frey said, tucking the rose into the front pocket of his shirt, letting it sit there, looking goofy against the cotton blend.

Merlin laughed again, tangling her fingers in Frey's and settling down next to him on the blanket, staring out at the sky. The two sat like that, talking and laughing, for a long, long time.

NNNNNN

Nimueh wasn't entirely certain what she thought of Merlin. The girl was tricky and dangerous and was definitely hiding a lot. The girl's entire past was shrouded in mystery, the Druids' databases not able to get a single hit on the teen. It made Nimueh wary, worried about what Merlin could be planning.

On the other hand, though, Merlin almost seemed naïve. She was certainly highly educated in the ways of mob life and in fighting and magic, but she was innocent in other manners. Merlin disliked killing and fighting and would almost always manipulate someone into doing something rather than threaten them. That wasn't to say that Merlin wouldn't take any measure necessary to complete the mission, but it was still confusing. And worrisome. This wasn't a normal mobster. This was something else, something new, something possibly frightening.

But Nimueh had noticed her son's growing attraction to the new member of the Druids. There was no way the High Priestess could do anything to Merlin without hurting her son and there was nothing that would make Nimueh hurt her children. They meant the world to her. So, when Frey had asked Nimueh's permission to court Merlin, Nimueh had given it, while simultaneously plotting ways to de-mystify Merlin in order to feel better about allowing her son to be with this girl.

Therefore, Nimueh confronted Merlin at the café about three days after Frey officially started courting the raven-haired beauty, ordering her favorite drink with a mischievous curl of her lips. She said firmly, "I believe I'll wait here tonight until your shift is finished. Then we will go back to your house and talk for a little while." It was an order, not a request. Merlin had nodded.

The two rode back to Merlin's mansion, Nimueh following in a car behind Merlin's motorcycle, the headlights bright and mysterious behind Merlin the entire way home. When Merlin stopped in front of the house, Nimueh had gotten out of her car and appraised the house seriously, "This is quite the abode you have. I was expecting something a little more… modest for someone who lives practically on their own." In fact, she'd already driven out the house before, letting herself be shocked by the size and quality of the house in private before allowing Merlin to see her reaction. The house truly was magnificent, huge and imposing without being garishly decorated. There was also probably an enormous amount of upkeep necessary for the outside and inside of the house, but no one ever came to the house. Nimueh had put magical sensors on the road that lead to nothing but Merlin's mansion, but the only ones who travelled it were Merlin and, occasionally, Gaius.

Merlin's smile was slightly self-deprecating and slightly sad when she responded, "My father inherited the land from his father and never thought to get rid of it. The house is supposed to pass on from father to son, but, well, there was no son this time around. I suppose I'll get the house, but I'm not really sure. Hopefully I won't have to worry about that for a long time." Nimueh filed that thought away curiously. There had been no record of whom the house belonged to, nor how it was transferred from person to person when she had looked. She would have to dig deeper to find out the truth.

Nimueh nodded and hummed a little in agreement, stalking off towards the front door. Merlin carefully opened it for her, disabling the alarm and sending out a small burst of magic energy in order to inform the wards that the guest was welcome. Nimueh glanced at the raven-haired girl, surprised, "You have some exceptionally strong wards. I'm impressed." The burst of magic that she'd felt from the young mobster had been controlled in a way that spoke of intense practice. Perhaps Merlin wasn't quite showing everything she could be showing when she allowed others to see her magic.

"My father is quite good at wards and he taught me as much as he could about them in the times that he was here. But there are plenty of books around the house for the times that he wasn't here." Merlin answered, trailing her fingers over some of the books that lined the entry way to prove her point.

Nimueh smiled at the girl, "Did you learn a lot of your magic from books?"

"Yes." Merlin answered before elaborating, "It's a lot harder for me to learn from books than people because people are more likely to spot what you did wrong the first time. With books, you just have to keep repeating the same spell over and over again until you finally get it. But mom and dad weren't around nearly often enough to teach me, and Gaius did his best too, but he has other obligations to tend to and can't spend all his time teaching me magic." That was quite similar to Nimueh's own training. Oftentimes, her parents had been too busy trying to make business deals or trying to teach her how to be the perfect house wife that they'd neglected her magic training. The magic had started to get out of control several times before she'd taken matters into her own hands and had taught herself magic from books.

The two of them reached the living room and Merlin offered, "Please, have a seat. Would you like me to get you some tea, or biscuits?"

"No, that's quite fine. I don't plan on staying here long." Nimueh answered easily. Merlin nodded to her and sat opposite, expression slightly tense. She probably didn't like it when people who weren't family came into her home. With Nimueh at least, it made her feel threatened. Nimueh sighed and leaned forward, "Frey has started courting you."

Merlin's eyes narrowed a little bit, probably curious about the blunt statement of fact, "Yes. He's a wonderful person to be around and he's very intelligent. It is an honor to be courted by him."

Nimueh put a hand lightly to her forehead, fingertips just grazing the skin, "Darling, let's not play games here, alright? I know that you care for him as he cares for you. I have come here tonight to not only give you an ultimatum, but also a threat. I'll start with the latter: I _know_ I don't have to tell you how you'll disappear and never be seen again if you dare to hurt him, correct?"

"I would never hurt him!" Merlin answered fiercely. Nimueh had to avoid raising an eyebrow at the passion behind that statement. Merlin and Frey had certainly gotten close in the time they'd known each other. That was surprising to Nimueh; she wouldn't have seen Merlin as someone who would let another person in that easily.

Chuckling slightly, Nimueh nodded, "I know, child. That was all I needed to hear. Now, the ultimatum: I will not have my son be with someone who is not a full member of the group. Do you understand?"

"Of course." Merlin nodded back, expression serious. She continued with, "When do you want me to take the full membership test?"

"Now." Nimueh answered, delighting in the slightest flicker of unease that she caught from Merlin. It was so amusing to catch the girl off-guard. In the end, though, Merlin just nodded, shifting slightly in her seat. Nimueh chuckled again and said, "Several of the missions you have gone through have been tests for your membership. There is not a lot that you need to do tonight. First, I need to know that you can hide your magic, even under attack. I am going to bombard you with magical energy and you are going to need to keep your own magic under control until I stop. If I sense a hint of your magic leaking out, you will not be allowed to join, alright?" Merlin nodded and Nimueh began.

Generally, it wasn't all that difficult of a test, but Nimueh had seen the control Merlin had over her magic. She was determined to see how far that control went. So, Nimueh shot a strong wave of magical pressure at Merlin immediately, instead of building up to that strength like usual. Merlin didn't even flinch, magic firmly tucked inside her. Nimueh increased the pressure, pushing the power up and up until she wasn't even sure she could increase the pressure much further. Merlin was breathing harshly through her nose, hands clenched into fists on her lap, but her magic hadn't slipped out of its confines yet.

Delicately wiping her brow with a stray handkerchief, Nimueh let out a small gust of air before saying, "Well, you certainly passed that test. Next, we must know that you are loyal to the Druids. This is an orb that can tell bad intentions. This is the final and most dangerous part of the test. If you fail it, the orb will lash out and kill you. I do hope that you do not fail." Merlin nodded, still catching her breath. She placed one pale hand on the orb and let it stay there, eyes falling shut.

For a moment, the orb shifted colors, swishing through them so fast that Nimueh couldn't interpret what they meant. Then, suddenly, it shifted back to a clear orb. Nimueh let out a small smile, "Congratulations, Merlin. You are now a member of the Druids."

 **Author's Note: Sorry this is short and complete trash, but I'll try to get better with this story. I felt the urge to write it, but I had to rewrite it like six times before I was satisfied. Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!**


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